A sinus is a hollow space within the bones of the face. Humans have several sinuses. The sinuses are lined with delicate membrane called mucosa. The sinuses humidify and warm the air, add to the sense of smell and play a significant role in the quality of human sound. A nasal passage runs from the nostrils to the pharynx and is also lined with mucosa. Sinusitis is an inflammation of the mucosa of various sinuses, which are located around the nasal passages. Rhinitis is an inflammation of the mucosa of a nasal passage.
Sinusitis and rhinitis can be caused by cold viruses, allergies to various allergens, smoking, bacterial or fungal infections, nasal polyps, deviated nasal septums and non-allergic hypersensitivities. Symptoms of rhinitis include: stuffy nose, runny or drippy nose, scratchy throat and dry cough. Symptoms of sinusitis are more severe than the symptoms of rhinitis. Acute and chronic sinusitis occurs when the sinuses are inflamed and ostia are blocked. Symptoms include: nasal congestion; runny or stuffy nose; white, yellow or green discharge; headache; night time cough; pain in the upper jaw or teeth; persistent fatigue; fever; loss of sense of smell or taste; and sometimes serious infections like meningitis, brain abscess or ear infections.
As indicated above, allergies can cause rhinitis and sinusitis. Allergens are organic particles that attach to the nasal mucosa or respiratory mucosa and lead to the development of an antibody, which subsequently creates a series of chemical reactions leading to symptoms. Every individual""s reaction to allergen exposure is different. Indoor allergens including dust mites, mold, pet dander and cockroaches. Outdoor allergens including pollens, grass and mold. Other substances such as cigarette smoke, perfumes and aerosol sprays are irritants that can worsen allergy and sinus symptoms.
There are various methods to treat the symptoms of or to cure sinus disease, including surgery. An effective nasal rinse can significantly reduce or permanently cure the symptoms of nasal allergies and sinus disease. Saline nasal irrigations have been used for many years and have been mentioned in medical textbooks going back hundreds of years. A wide variety of techniques have been described, including swimming in salt water, which often results in some degree of inadvertent nasal salt water irrigation.
Nasal rinsing or lavage is a treatment for rhinitis and sinusitis that uses a saline solution dispensed into the nasal passage to cleanse and wash away mucus and allergy creating particles and irritants. Lavaging allows the sinuses to drain normally and reduces the inflammation of the mucus membrane.
Prepared saline solution is available for uses including nasal lavage, however a bottle filled with saline solution can be quite expensive. Alternatively, saline solution can be prepared at home using household ingredients. However, there is a concern for cleanliness and contamination and for ensuring the proper concentration level and acidity is achieved. Thus, there is a need for a simple method for preparing a saline solution having a consistent and appropriate concentration that is simple, inexpensive and not easily contaminated.
Nasal rinsing equipment currently available includes various types of dispensers that can be filled with a saline solution and which are then injected into the user""s nasal passage. Conventional nasal rinsing equipment can be crude and may only be suitable for user""s having a certain size nostril. For proper use, the dispensing tip should comfortably seal against a user""s nostril. Equipment having a dispenser tip designed for a certain size nostril can be useless for someone with a smaller nostril, in particular children, such as the nasal rinse equipment described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,723 for a DEVICE FOR LAVAGING. Thus, there is a need for equipment having a dispenser tip that effectively and comfortably seals against human nostrils of varying sizes, including nostrils of children.
Another problem with current lavaging equipment is that the configuration of the dispensing tip can cause the saline solution to be dispensed into the nasal passage without sufficiently dispersing before reaching the back of the nasal passage, resulting in an uncomfortable or painful sensation for the user. There is a need for a dispenser tip configured to allow the saline solution to disperse sufficiently before reaching the back of the nasal passage.
Conventional lavaging equipment includes dispenser tips that are compatible with power operated oral irrigators. However, the dispenser tips are typically only compatible with a certain model of oral irrigator, such as the dispenser tip described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,145 for a NASAL IRRIGATION SYSTEM. There is a need for a dispenser tip that is compatible with most commercially available oral irrigators.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an apparatus and system for preparing and dispensing a saline solution that is simple to use, capable of being prepared and administered in most any location, relatively inexpensive and suitable for use by persons having nostrils of varying sizes, including children.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for preparing and dispensing a saline solution into a nasal passage. An apparatus for dispensing a liquid into a human nostril comprises a container and a removable cap. The cap has a cylindrical lower portion, a rounded convex upper portion curving away from an axially aligned opening located in the uppermost surface of the upper portion, an open lower end and a tubular conduit connected to the uppermost interior surface of the upper portion and having a hollow center axially aligned with the opening located in the upper portion. The container has flexible sidewalls and an axially aligned neck configured to connect to the cap with a liquid tight connection. The conduit of the cap can extend into the container when the cap and container are joined together, or a flexible tube can be connected to the conduit, which flexible tube extends into the container.
The saline solution comprises sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate dissolved in water to form an isotonic and pH balanced solution. The water can be distilled and lukewarm.
A method for rinsing a nasal passage comprises preparing the saline solution by emptying the contents of a packet containing a measured amount of sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate into a container filled with a measured amount of water and dissolving the sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate in the water, connecting the cap and tube assembly (or cap having an extended conduit) to the container, pressing the cap against a nostril for an effective seal, and compressing the sidewalls of the container to urge the saline solution out of the container and into a nasal passage through the nostril.
Another aspect of the invention includes connecting the cap and tube (or cap having an extended conduit) to a power operated oral irrigator having a reservoir containing the saline solution and operating the oral irrigator to drive the saline solution into a nasal passage.
Advantages of the invention include one or more of the following. A nasal rinse apparatus is provided that can be used by children as well as adults. The apparatus includes a cap design that will provide an effective seal against the nostril of a child or adult.
The cap can be used in conjunction with a power driven oral irrigator for performing a nasal rinse. A flexible tube is provided that can be connected to most commercially available oral irrigators.
A nasal rinse can be performed without having to bend the neck back and look upwards, as is the case in nasal irrigation systems that rely on gravity to dispense the solution. This feature is particularly advantageous to persons who experience dizziness in this position, in particular elderly persons.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.